1150-1200;Middle English (noun) < Old Norseskinn; cognate with dialectal GermanSchinde skin of fruit

Related forms

skinlike, adjective

underskin, noun

unskinned, adjective

Synonyms

2. fur. Skin,hide,pelt are names for the outer covering of animals, including humans. Skin is the general word: an abrasion of the skin; the skin of a muskrat.Hide applies to the skin of large animals, as cattle, horses, or elephants: a buffalo hide.Pelt applies to the untanned skin of smaller animals: a mink pelt.4. hull, shell, husk, crust.

skin

/skɪn/

noun

1.

the tissue forming the outer covering of the vertebrate body: it consists of two layers (the dermis and epidermis), the outermost of which may be covered with hair, scales, feathers, etc. It is mainly protective and sensory in function

Ful of fleissche Y was to fele, Now ... Me is lefte But skyn & boon. [hymn, c.1430]

The usual Anglo-Saxon word is hide (n.1). Meaning "epidermis of a living animal or person" is attested from early 14c.; extended to fruits, vegetables, etc. late 14c. Jazz slang sense of "drum" is from 1927. Meaning "a skinhead" is from 1970. As an adjective, it formerly had a slang sense of "cheating" (1868); sense of "pornographic" is attested from 1968. Skin deep is first attested in this:

All the carnall beauty of my wife, Is but skin-deep. [Sir Thomas Overbury, "A Wife," 1613; the poem was a main motive for his murder]

The skin of one's teeth as the narrowest of margins is attested from 1550s in the Geneva Bible literal translation of the Hebrew text in Job xix:20. To get under (someone's) skin "annoy" is from 1896. Skin-graft is from 1871. Skin merchant "recruiting officer" is from 1792.

v.

late 14c., "to remove the skin from" (originally of circumcision), from skin (n.). As "to have (a particular kind of) skin" from c.1400. In 19c. U.S. colloquial use, "to strip, fleece, plunder;" hence skin-game, one in which one player has no chance against the others (as with a stacked deck), the type of con game played in a skin-house. Skin the cat in gymnastics is from 1845. Related: Skinned; skinning.

skin (skĭn)n. The membranous tissue forming an external protective covering or integument of an animal and consisting of the epidermis and dermis. v.skinned, skin·ning, skins To bruise, cut, or injure the skin of.

(skĭn) The outer covering of a vertebrate animal, consisting of two layers of cells, a thick inner layer (the dermis) and a thin outer layer (the epidermis). Structures such as hair, scales, or feathers are contained in the skin, as are fat cells, sweat glands, and sensory receptors. Skin provides a protective barrier against disease-causing microorganisms and against the sun's ultraviolet rays. In warm-blooded animals, it aids in temperature regulation, as by insulating against the cold.

skin definition

The external tissue that covers the body. As the body's largest organ (it makes up about one twenty-fifth of an adult's weight), the skin serves as a waterproof covering that helps keep out pathogens and protects against temperature extremes and sunlight. The skin also contains special nerve endings that respond to touch, pressure, heat, and cold. The skin has an outer layer, or epidermis, and a layer immediately below, called the dermis.

skim

noun

Income not reported for tax purposes, esp from the gross earnings of a gambling casino or other such enterprise; black money: allegedly ''cleansed'' in the neighborhood of $2 million in ''skim,'' untaxed gambling profits/ Caltronics is in on the skim(1960+ Gambling)

verb

: ''appropriate, conceal, and skim'' part of the winnings(1961+ Gambling)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.Cite This Source